The Meaning of Horse Tattoos

Saddle up, and get on over to your local tattoo artist for a horse tattoo design. Somewhat rare as an animal totem tattoo, horses still carry a lot of cultural and historical meaning though these meanings are sometimes vague and contradictory.

Beginning in the Ice Age, where cave dwellers sketched early horses on their walls, the horse has fascinated humankind. Seen simultaneously as intelligent yet skittish, the horse is used as both a positive and negative symbol: day and night, sun and moon, good and evil, reasoned wisdom and unbridled lust.

Sometimes the interpretation given the horse is based upon who is riding it or following it on a chariot/wagon. Islamic tradition tells of Mohammed’s journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and then to heaven, on the back of the great steed Alborak. That is quite a different horse story than the four horsemen of the Apocalypse that John foretold in the New Testament’s Revelation.

Some might call those stories “a horse of a different color.” True to form, the color of horse you choose might also influence the nature of the story told. White horses symbolize purity and the journey of the soul (see also Unicorns, Pegasus), while black horses especially in dream literature are a symbol of grief. The grey horse was an omen of death in English, German, and Norse folklore, and remains so in Wales.

Horse Tattoo Meanings

Horses are regarded as the symbol of strength, stamina and grace. Horse has been a companion of man for centuries, you can still find picture of horses on the walls of caves in France, which are forty thousand years old! This loyal animal was regarded as the offspring of the four winds who would carry Zeus in the form of a horse.

The European culture regards horse as a symbol of a warrior. Stallion and Horse were regarded as twin horse gods and were literally worshiped throughout Britain, in the ancient times. Horses were also regarded as guides in spiritual journeys. Apart from these horse tattoo symbolization, there is another another important horse tattoo meaning which is related to the Chinese astrology.

Horse is a zodiac sign for all those people born in the years 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 and 2002, 2014, 2026. According to Chinese astrology, people who have horse as their zodiac sign are witty, powerful, popular, wise and good looking. These were some of the major meanings of horse tattoos. Now lets take a look horse tattoo designs. Read more on zodiac tattoos.

Horse Tattoo Designs

Tribal Horse Tattoo Designs:

Tribal tattoos have always been popular in almost every tattoo category, horse tattoos are no exception to it! Horse tattoo designs can be depicted in various forms, however tribal horse tattoos look the best. The broad strokes and the dark black ink which are the major characteristics of any tribal tattoo, increase the beauty and grace of the horse. You do not need to add any other fancy design to a classic tribal tattoo, as it tends to hide the beauty of it.

Celtic Horse Tattoo Designs:

Wondering how Celtic art can be included in horse tattoo designs? Well, that credit should be given to talented tattoo artists who came up with the idea of blending the intricate Celtic designs in horse tattoos. As we all know, Celtic tattoos are made up of loops and knots. These loops and knots are included in the horse tattoo design, the entire horse is not made of loops and knots, just the internal structure of the horse is filled with Celtic designs. This is one of the unique horse tattoo designs.

Wild Horse Tattoo Designs:

Horse is one such animal that can be calm at times and extremely wild at others. Some people like the wild look of horses and get them done in their tattoos. The horses which are ready to attack or those in full speed are regarded as wild horses. Sometimes horses are also shown attacking their prey. Another way to show the wildness of the horse is to show a warrior on its back, this symbolizes a horse which is ready for war.